Former UW Huskies head coach is been dismissed as defensive coordinator after first-year coach Raheem Morris strongly criticized the defense’s underwhelming performance to close the season.
Defensive line coach Jay Rodgers was also fired by the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons (8-9) failed to make the playoffs for the seventh straight year after a 44-38 overtime defeat to Carolina on Sunday.
“After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team’s future, we deemed these moves necessary,” Morris said in a two-paragraph statement released by the team. “These decisions are never easy from the human side of things and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best.”
Lake posted a 7-6 record as the head coach of the UW Huskies in 2020-21 before serving as the Los Angeles Rams’ assistant head coach in 2023.
Before taking the top job at Washington, Lake spent six seasons on Chris Petersen’s coaching staff, starting as the defensive backs coach (2014-15). He then added co-defensive coordinator duties in 2016 and 2017 before becoming the sole defensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019. Lake also worked as Petersen’s DBs coach and passing game coordinator at Boise State from 2012-13. The former Eastern Washington safety began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 1999 and later coached defensive backs at both Eastern Washington (2000-04) and Washington (2004).
Lake’s tenure as head coach at UW ended abruptly late in the 2021 season after a sideline incident with a Huskies player during a game against Oregon.
Meanwhile, the Falcons’ biggest news of the season was the late-season benching of quarterback Kirk Cousins, with rookie Michael Penix Jr. auditioning as the new starter for 2025. However, coach Raheem Morris chose to focus on the defense’s disappointing performance down the stretch following the loss to the Panthers.
Morris expressed being “really shocked” and “really disappointed” in his defense following the game.
The staff changes, however, were not unexpected.
When asked on Monday about Lake’s status and whether he anticipated making changes to the staff, Morris said, “I’ve been around the league for a while and very rarely do things stay the same.”
The Falcons finished 23rd in the league in total defense, allowing an average of 24.9 points per game. The defense ranked last in sacks after nine games but showed improvement in the latter half of the season. Third-year outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie recorded six sacks, while Matthew Judon added 5 1/2 sacks. Linebacker Kaden Elliss led the team with 150 tackles and five sacks. Safety Jessie Bates III also impressed with 102 tackles, four interceptions, and four forced fumbles.
Despite these individual performances and an improved pass rush, the defense struggled on third downs, ranking second-to-last in efficiency, and allowed 74 points in back-to-back losses to end the season. As a result, the Falcons posted their seventh consecutive losing record.
General manager Terry Fontenot emphasized Thursday that improving the defense, particularly the pass rush, will be a key focus in the offseason. “We have to add on,” Fontenot said. “We showed ability, we showed improvement in that area. But this definitely needs to be an area that we continue to improve.”
Morris expressed deep disappointment following the season-ending loss to Carolina, explaining that he was “really fired up” about the direction the team was heading in. He felt the defense and the team took “a huge step back” in the loss, adding, “That’s something we’ve got to go back and look at and review and find out why because those things can’t happen.”
A potential candidate to lead the Falcons’ defense is Jeff Ulbrich, the interim head coach and defensive coordinator for the New York Jets, who has expressed interest in interviewing for the Jets’ full-time position. Ulbrich, who served as an assistant with the Falcons from 2015-2020, went 3-9 as interim head coach after the Jets fired Robert Saleh, who may also be a candidate for the Falcons’ defensive coordinator role. Saleh has interviewed for San Francisco’s defensive coordinator position.
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